Little River Marina users must clear out by Dec. 27

Little River Marina officially will close on Dec. 27, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today.

Corps officials last month said they would not renew the lease for the marina, which has been operated by Pam Bugg and her family since 1986.

The 129-acre site, with docks, boat storage, cabins and other amenities, must be cleared of all personal property on or before Dec. 27 by the operator or the property owners, the corps announcement said.

In announcing the end of the lease, Clarks Hill Lake Operations Project Manager Scott Hyatt said the corps “has not been satisfied with the current business and we want to exercise our right to go out and find an operator who would better meet the demands of the public.”

According to a marina brokerage Web site, MarinasForSale.com in Falmouth, Mass., the business is for sale and the asking price has been reduced to $1 million.

The corps announcement says all marina services at the site will cease as of Dec. 27, but that the boat ramp on the site will reopen Jan. 2 “on a limited basis for public use.”

In the meantime, other marinas available at the lake include Rayesville, Tradewinds, Plum Branch Yacht Club, Savannah Lakes Village and Soap Creek, all on corps lands leased to the marina operators.

The announcement said the corps intends to issue a Notice of Availability to Lease in January, and interested bidders for the site can view the notice at the Corps’ Savannah District Web site, www.sas.usace.army.mil/re/re.html. Information also is available by calling (800) 5-33-3478.

The corps hopes to choose a new marina operator based on competitive bidding in time for the facility to reopen before the 2012 season, the announcement says.

Apparently the second version was posted when the first didn't appear in the system. Then the first showed up after the second. We're still learning to navigate our way around! Thanks very much for reading.